Locket having spring-closed doors and pull string for opening same



Aprll 16, 1968 o. v. MAREK 3,377,818-

' LQCKET HAVING SPRINGrCLOSED DOORS AND PULL STRING I F'OR OPENING SAME Filed Aug. 11, 1965 lNVENTOR OTTO V. MAREK ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,377,818 LOCKET HAVING SPRING-CLOSED DOORS AND PULL STRING FOR OPENING SAME Otto V. Marek, 470 Rte. 9, Bayville, NJ. 08721 Filed Aug. 11, 1965, Ser. No. 478,875 6 Claims. (CI. 63-19) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A locket comprising a case provided with means for supporting a picture, a matching cover secured to the case, and provided with a normally-closed spring door overlying the picture, which door is moved to the open position by means of a pull string.

This invention relates to lockets and more particularly to lockets constructed and arranged to carry a picture and provided with manually operable doors for exposing the picture to view.

A locket made in accordance with this invention may have a variety of specific shapes but it will be specifically illustrated and described with reference to a locket of heart shape. Briefly, such locket comprises a case provided with internal means for supporting a picture. The case carries one or more normally-closed doors, which doors are manually-operable to the open position, thereby to expose the picture to view.

An object of this invention is the provision of a locket of novel construction.

An object of this invention is the provision of a locket, or the like, constructed and arranged to carry a picture normally hidden from view, which picture is exposed to view upon operation of one or more normally closed doors.

An object of this invention is the provision of a device of the locket class, which device comprises a casing including means for supporting a picture, one or more spring-biased doors normally overlying the picture, and manually-operable means for pivotally moving the doors to open position.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description when taken with the accompanying drawings illustrating two embodiments of the invention. It will be understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and are not to be construed as defining the scope or limits of the invention, reference being had for the latter purpose to the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote like parts in the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a locket made in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view thereof, with portions of the cover broken away;

FIGURE 3 is similar to FIGURE 1 but with the cover removed and portions of the doors broken away;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 3 but with the cover in place on the base;

FIGURE 5 is a front elevational view similar to FIG- URE 1 but showing the doors in open position;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIGURE 3 but with the cover in place on the base;

FIGURE 7 is a front elevational view showing a locket made in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 8 is similar to FIGURE 7 but with the cover removed and a portion of the door broken away.

Reference now is made to FIGURES 1-6 wherein the ice locket is shown of heart-shape and comprising a base 10 and a cover 11, preferably made of a suitable plastic. The cover 11 is a thin-walled member provided with a rectangular aperture 12 aligned with a pair of doors 13, 13'. The base 10 is a molded unitary member provided with various channels and cavities for accommodating elements of the door-actuating mechanism, as will be described hereinbelow. Secured to the rear surface of the base is a member formed into an eye loop 14, by means of which the locket may be suspended from a necklace.

A pair of spaced, integral ledges 15 and 16 extend upwardly from the upper surface of the base 10. These ledges are provided with aligned holes for receiving the metal rods 17 and 18, which rods are secured to the doors 13 and 13', respectively, as by cement, and have offset ends. It will be apparent that the rods 17 and 18 constitute pivots rotatable within the aligned holes formed in the ledges 15 and 16. Formed in the base 10 and extending downwardly from the upper ledge 15 is a cavity 20 of generally Y shape in cross-section, the upper portion of such cavity communicating with a horizontal channel 21 extending along and beyond the upper ledge 15. The lower portion of the cavity 20 extends downwardly along the center line of the base 10 and terminates in a channel 22 extending to the base edge.

The horizontal channel 21 provides a clearance area for the coiled springs 24, 25 and the crank arms 26, 27, which crank arms have ends secured to the respective pivot rods 17 and 18, as by soldering. Each of the springs has one end extending through a hole provided in the free end of the associated crank arm and the other end looped around associated pins 29 and 30, which pins span the channel 21 and have ends disposed in suitable recesses formed in the base 10. A flexible filamentary member, such as the string 32, passes through the central channel 22 and along the arcuate surfaces defining the side walls of the cavity 20. The ends of the string are passed through additional holes provided in the free ends of the crank arms and formed into knots. Secured to the string is a washer 33 which serves as a stop to limit downward movement of the string.

Pulling downwardly on the string causes rotation of the crank arms toward each other, thereby rotating the doors 13 and 13 to the open positions, as shown in FIG- URE 5, thereby exposing to view the picture 34. The angular extent to which the door can be rotated is determined by the position of the washer 33 on the string, said washer abutting the wall defining the entrance opening of the channel 22 as the string is pulled downwardly. Such picture may have a vertical width slightly exceeding the spacing between the spaced ledges 15 and 16, whereby the picture is retained in place by friction after it has been pressed into flush engagement with the upper surface of the base. Alternatively, the picture may be secured to the upper surface of the base 10 by a suitable adhesive. Upon release of the string, the springs 24, 25 return the doors to the normal, closed position. It is here pointed out that the cover 11 is provided with a slot which is aligned with the central channel 22 of the base, thereby affording free movement of the string when the cover is secured to the base.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG- URES 7 and 8, the locket is provided with a single door 35. In this arrangement, one end of the string is attached to the crank arm 27. Otherwise, the base and cover are constructed and arranged as described with reference to FIGURES 1-6, thereby resulting in economy of manufacture while affording variation in the completed locket.

All of the parts, with the exception of the door-biasing springs, can be made of suitable plastics. Alternatively, all or some of the parts can be made of metal. Also, the

locket can be made in any desired shape and a conventional pin type clasp can be secured to the rear surface of the base so that the locket can be attached to a garment. Having now described the invention, those skilled in this art will be able to make various changes and modifications without thereby departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as recited in the following claims.

I claim: 1. A locket comprising, (a) a base having a pair of upstanding, spaced ledges, (b) means forming a cavity in the base, one end of the cavity communicating with a transverse channel in the base and the other end communicating with a central channel extending to the edge of the base, (c) a door overlying said base in the closed position, ((1) a pivot rod non-rotatably secured to the door and having ends rotatably mounted in aligned holes formed in the said ledges, (e) a crank arm fixedly secured to the pivot pin,

(f) a spring disposed in said transverse channel, said spring having an end secured in fixed position relative to the base and an end coupled to said crank arm,

(g) a pull string passing from the exterior of the locket through the said central channel and cavity, said string having an end coupled to said crank arm,

(h) means for carrying a picture on said base in position underlying said door, and

(i) a cover secured to the base, said cover having an aperture in a position overlying said door and of a size to admit passage of the door to open position.

2. -T he invention as recited in claim 1, including limiting means defining the extent to which the string can be withdrawn from the base.

3. The invention as recited in claim 2, wherein the said central channel comprises two sections of different diameters, and wherein the said limiting means comprises a member secured to the string and disposed within the larger diameter section of the central channel.

4. A locket comprising,

(a) a base having a pair of upstanding, spaced ledges,

(b) means forming a cavity in the base, one end of the cavity communicating with a transverse channel, the other end of the cavity communicating with a cen- 4 tr-al channel, and the central portion of the cavity defined by reversely-disposed, arcuate side walls,

(c) a pair of pivot rods having ends passing through aligned holes formed in the said ledges,

(d) a picture carried by said base,

(e) a pair of doors individually fixedly secured one to each of the pivot rods,

(f) spring means mounted between said doors and base normally biasing the doors to co-planar positions overlying the picture,

(g) a cover secured to the base, said cover having an aperture formed therein of a size to admit said doors and aligned with said doors, and

(h) a pull string mechanically coupled to each of the doors, said string passing through the said central channel and cavity to the exterior of the locket, the recited arrangement being such that pulling of the string effects a pivotal movement of the doors through the aperture of the cover.

5. The invention as recited in claim 4, including crank arms individually secured to the said pivot rods, wherein the said spring means comprises coiled springs disposed within the said transverse channel, each spring having an end coupled to an associated crank arm, and wherein said string includes portions slidab'le along the arcuate walls defining the central portion of the said cavity.

6. T he invention as recited in claim 5, wherein the said central channel comprises axial portions of different diameters, and including a string-movement limiting member secured to the string and disposed Within the larger diameter portion of the central channel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 247,556 9/1881 Goldsmith 63-l9 263,893 9/1882 Goldsmith 63l9 784,077 3/1905 Smith et a1. 40-l.6 792,801 6/1905 Steele.

FOREIGN PATENTS 13,941 7/1905 Great Britain.

F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner. 

